Throughout the country, Americans continue to be skeptical of data centers. "Many Republican voters are not anti-technology or anti-AI. They are asking a very conservative question: Who pays?" Robert Maginnis, a retired US Army lieutenant colonel and senior fellow for National Security at Family Research Council, told The Washington Stand. "They see enormously wealthy technology companies receiving the benefits while local families may face higher electricity bills, new transmission lines, pressure on water and land, and taxpayer-supported infrastructure."

According to a new Echelon Insights poll, Americans are more likely to support a nuclear power plant being built in their communities than an AI data center. An overwhelming 62% said they would oppose a data center, compared to just 27% who support. Nuclear power plants, on the other hand, have 34% backing and 57% opposition.

Data center developments are becoming a hot-button topic in midterm election races in places like Texas and Ohio. And with only a few short months to go until voters cast their ballots, both parties are paying attention.

"Conservatives can believe two things at the same time. America must build the computing and energy infrastructure necessary to remain ahead of China, and local communities should not be asked to write Big Tech a blank check to accomplish it," Maginnis said. "That means transparency, local control, protection for ratepayers and property owners, and requiring developers to bear the real infrastructure costs they create." (Image: Pexels)

In Texas, Republican Governor Greg Abbott recently announced an audit of data center projects in the state before they can continue.

"Our top priority is to protect Texans' safety and quality of life," Abbott insisted in a press release. He added that if the projects don't meet the state requirements, they "must be denied connection to the Texas grid, ... Texans must come first," the governor said. 

President Donald Trump said that he thought Abbott was making a mistake, asserting that the data center industry could become bigger than the oil industry. Abbott's opponent, Democratic state Representative Gina Hinojosa, spoke out on the issue as well. "The only way we can have any assurances that the people will be protected is if there is a moratorium until the Legislature can meet and pass into actual law real protections for people," Hinojosa told NPR. 

Maginnis believes the dismissal of voters against data center expansion by Republicans would be a political mistake. "The sustainable position is neither 'build everything' nor 'build nothing.' It is build strategically, make the beneficiaries pay their fair share, and demonstrate a genuine benefit to the communities being asked to host these facilities," he explained.

In Ohio, Republican Senator Jon Husted is under fire from being cast as the "face" of data centers, as highlighted by his opponent, former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown.

"[Husted] delivered giant corporations billions of dollars in sweetheart tax deals. Ohioans now pay thousands more on their utility bills," his opponent pushed back on the campaign trail.

Ohio GOP candidate for governor Vivek Ramaswamy also weighed in, explaining that data centers are a concern for residents of the Buckeye State in a recent op-ed for The Columbus Dispatch. "A top concern I hear from Ohioans across our state—second only to property taxes—is the accelerating pace of data center expansion," Ramaswamy wrote. "Key citizen concerns about data centers include rising electric bills, noise, pollution, and the absence of clearly defined economic benefits for Ohio families."

Maginnis told TWS that the Church should weigh the issue carefully. "For Christians, this is ultimately a question of stewardship. Scripture gives mankind authority to cultivate creation, but not a license to exploit it carelessly. Data centers can serve legitimate purposes, including America's economic and national security, but wisdom requires us to count the full cost. Who pays for the electricity, water, transmission lines, and other infrastructure? Who receives the benefits, and who bears the burdens?"

To the Believer, loving thy neighbor should be of importance as well, Maginnis emphasized. "A community should not become a sacrifice zone so that a technology company can maximize its advantage somewhere else. Nor should we reflexively oppose development that serves the common good. The Christian answer is responsible stewardship: build what we truly need, require those who profit from it to bear a fair share of the costs, protect the people who live nearby, and remember that technological progress is a means to human flourishing—not an end in itself." Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

Quinn Delamater is a reporter for The Washington Stand.

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